Rural-mail-delivering system.



P. G. BROOKS. RURAL MAIL DELIVERING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-.4,-191'1.

Patented Nov. 14, 1911.

3 SHEBTSSHEET 1.

I. G. BROOKS. RURAL MAIL DELIVERING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.4, 1911. 1,008,889. Patented Nov. 14, 1911.

3 SHEBTS-SHEET 2.

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. F. c. BROOKS. RURAL MAIL DELIVERING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED MABA, 1911.

Patented Nov. 14, 1911.

JNVENTOR Q [5 r c oks 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

W1 TNESSES I I I Atlomeys COLUMBIA PLANOGIAPH CO" WASHINGTON. D. C-

FREDRICK G. BROOKS, OF BRUNSWICK, NEBRASKA.

RURAL-MAIL-DELIVERING SYSTEM.

1b all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDRICK C. BROOKS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Brunswick, in the county of Antelope and State of Nebraska,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rural-Mail-Delivering Systems; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enablewhich it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to mail delivering apparatus and moreparticularly to apparatus adapted to carry mail to private residencesand automatically deliver the same into specially provided receptaclesand to automatically collect matter to be mailed from other receptaclesand carry the same to a main or collecting station.

An object of the invention is to provide a car adapted to travel upon acable and carry mail from a station to the residences of personsresiding in rural districts and deposit the same at said residences.

Another object is to provide a car of the above stated characterprovided with a collecting compartment which is adapted to automaticallyreceive matter to be mailed upon its travel around its district andcarry said matter to the station to there be mailed.

Another object is to provide suitable receptacles at or near theresidences to receive the mail for the persons residing at these points,and receptacles within which the patrons place mail to be collected bythe automatic carrier and carried to-the collecting station, andsuitable supports for said receptacles.

Another object is to provide suitable supports for receiving anddepositing receptacles and posts upon which the said supportingmechanism may be adj ustably secured to suspend the receptacles theproper distance below the cable upon which the automatic carrier travelsto deposit mail matter within the receiving receptacle and to collectthe matter from the depositing receptacle.

Another. object is to provide mechanism upon the carrier forautomatically opening the receptacles which will automatically closeafter the passage of the carrier.

A further object is to provide a carrier adapted to carry a suitablemotor for operating the carrier to travel upon a cable,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 4, '1911.

others skilled in the art to specification.

Patented Nov. 14., 1911. Serial No. 612,194.

and, a further object is to provide a carrier Within which is positioneda plurality tents into the proper receiving receptacle when the car orcarrier is in the proper position above said receiving receptacle andafter the said receptacle has been opened by mechanism carried upon thecarrier.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter set forth and pointedout in the In the accompanying drawings which are made apart of thisapplication, Figure l is a perspective View of the automatic motorfoperated carrier atone of the stations, the

receptacles having been opened by the mechanism carried by the car forthe deposit and collection of mail matter. Fig. 2 is a longitudinalhorizontal sectional view through the carrier, Fig. 3 is a bottom planview of the carrier, showing the mechanism for opening the receivingreceptacle and for operating the mechanism within the carrier tosuccessively bring the compartments into position to deposit theircontents within the proper receiving receptacles. Fig. 4 is a verticalsectional view through the car and the support with the former at one ofits delivering stations, and, Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view of oneof the compartments.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views, 1 represents parallelposts connected at their upper ends by the cross bar 2. The posts arepositioned at or near the gates of the residences in rural districts, orat any place or places along the line at which it is desired to deliverand collect mail matter.

Secured to the posts 1, near the lower ends thereof, is the shaft 3having mounted thereon the pulley 4, over which passes the adjustingchain or cable 5, which also passes over the pulley 6 extended from thecross bar 2. Upon one'portionof the rope or pulley 5 is secured thecounterbalancing weight 7 and at a point nearly opposite the weight 7are secured the cross pieces 8 having suitable slide openings throughwhich the posts outer ends of the cross pieces 8 are the arms 9, whichare forked at their upper ends forming the opposite supporting members10, which have secured upon their extremities the horizontal guide rods11. At one upon the top of. the receptacle 15. To the flanges 18 aresecured the upper ends of the springs 19, which have their lower endsfastened to the receptacle 15 to automatically close the lid 16 andresiliently hold the lat- Y ter in closed position. The purpose of theopposite flared ends 12 of the guides 11 will later appear.

Integral with the upper end of one of the arms 10 is a forked support20, to which is secured a depositing receptacle 21 having the slidingclosing portion connected with the lever 22, which is pivoted at one endto the support 20, (as shown at 23). The opposite end 24 of the lever isadapted to normally i rest in a position lower than its pivoted end 23to retain the sliding closure of the receptacle 21 in closed position.The above described receptacles and theirsupports may be adjusted inposition in respect to the upper ends of the posts 1 by moving the ropeor cable 5, the weight 7 serving to counter-' balance the weight of thearms and receptacles.

A cable 25 is supported in any suitable manner along the route and it ispositioned a short distance from the upper ends of the posts 1,outwardly of the latter, or directly across the receiving receptacles15. Traveling upon the cable 25 are the wheels 26 carried in U-shapedsupports or brackets 27 projecting upwardly from the top of the carrieror car 28. Secured to the shaft of one of the wheels 26 outwardly of thebracket 27, is the sprocket wheel 29, which is operated by the sprocketchain 30 connected with suitable power carried upon or within the car28.

The car 28 is preferably oblong in shape having its front end pointed,as shown at 31. The car 28 is divided into two chambers, a long chamber32 and a square chamber 33 at the rear end of the car. has a portion ofone side open, as shown at 34, and isprovided with the shelf orguidetrough 35 upon theside of the car at the bottom of theopening 34.The trough 35 is provided with the wall 36, the height of whichgradually decreases toward the front of the car. The compartment 33 isadapted The chamber 33 to receive the contents of the deliveringreceptacles 21 through the openings 34, as will be later described.

Near the opposite ends of the long chamber 32 are positioned thevertical shafts 37 upon which are mounted the sprocket wheels 38, aroundwhich passes the sprocket chain 39 carrying, at spaced intervals, theseparate mail compartments 40. \Vithin the bottom of the carrier 28 is acircular delivering opening 41, over which each mail compartment 40 isbrought in its turn.

Each compartment 40 is provided with the hinged cover 42, which normallyrests upon the floor of the chamber 32, preventing the mail or othermatter within the compartment 40 from dropping out of the latter untilsaid compartment is brought in position above the opening 41, at whichmoment the cover 42 will swing open through the opening 41 and allow thecontents of the compartment 40 to drop within the receiving receptacle15 therebelow.

It will be understood, that the lid 15 is automatically opened by themechanism which will now be described, when the compartment 40 isbrought in position above the opening 41.

Carried within the brackets 43 upon the bottom of the car 28, is thereciprocating rod 44, which has a pawl 45 upon its rear end which isadapted to engage the ratchet wheel 46 carried upon one of the shafts 37to operate the shaft 37 and move the chain 39 the distance of the spacebetween the compartments 40 each time that the rod 44 is forcedrearwardly and then drawn forwardly by the spring 47, as will bepresently described. The opposite end of the rod 44 is curved downwardlyand terminates in the lid opening portion 48, which engages the lids 16and swings the latter upon their hinges to open the receptacles 15.

As will be understood one end of the spring 47 is secured to the rod 44,while the opposite end is secured to the car 28, and as the curved end48 of the rod 44 comes in contact with the curved lip of a lid 16 therod is forced rearwardly against the tension of the spring 47 and afterthe lid 16 is swung upon its hinge to open position, the spring 47 pullsthe rod 44 forward, causing the pawl 45 to engage one of the teeth ofthe ratchet wheel 46 to bring the next compartment 40 in position abovethe delivery opening 41.

The operation of the device is as follows: The mail is assorted andplaced in the proper compartments 40 at the distributing station, andthe car 28 set in motion upon the cable 25. As the car travels along theroute and comes to one of the places at which the mail is to bedelivered, the front or pointed end of the car 28 is caught and guidedby the flared ends 12 between the supports 11 and as the dependingcurved end 48 of the rod 44 engages the lip 17 of the lid 16, the latteris swung upon its hinge, as the rod 44 is forced rearwardly against thetension of the spring 47. The spring 47 also serves to absorb the shockcaused by the sudden contact of the arm 48 with the lip 17, and thespring 19 serves to protect the lid 16 by preventing it from swingingsuddenly and possibly breaking the hinge thereof. As the lid assumes itsopen position the end 48, under action of'the spring 47 slides upon theupper surface of the lid and allows the rod 44 to be drawn by the spring47 in a forward direction against the pawl 45 to engage the teeth of thewheel 46 and rotate the latter a predetermined distance to bring thecompartment containing the mail for this stop into position above theopening 41. V The compartment '40 reaches its position at about the samemoment that the lid 16 assumes its full open position and the hingedcover 42 of the compartment 40 swings to its open position through theopening 41, which at this instant is directly above the receivingreceptacle 15 and the contents thereof will drop into the receptacle 15.

As the top or lid 16 is being forced to its full open position, thebeveled or slanting edge of the wall 36 engages the outer dependingend24 of the lever 22 upon its under side, and raises the lever to openthe depositing receptacle 21. At the moment that the receptacle 21 isopened by the wall 36 and lever 22, the feed-opening 34 of the smallchamber 33 is directly opposite the receptacle 21 and the contents ofthe latter slide into the trough 35 and thence into the chamber 33.

As the car 28 moves onward and the wall 36 passes from under the lever22, the latter assumes its former position by the weight of the outerend 24 of the lever 22 and the receptacle 21 is again closed. As therear end of the car passes beyond the receptacle 15 the lid 16 thereofis automatically closed upon the top of the receptacle with the mailtherein by means of the spring 19. Thus, it will be seen that thereceptacles are retained in their closed condition except when mail isbeing deposited into or collected from said receptacles by the automaticcar carrier.

The car 28 travels along the route and the above described operationsare performed at each point provided with receiving receptacles properlysupported upon the supporting mechanism above described.

It will be understood that there is a compartment 40 for each receivingreceptacle 15 and the mail is distributed in these compartments 40accordingly, the mechanism operating at each post to deposit thecontents of each compartment 40 within'the proper receptacle 15.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a rural delivery system whichis thoroughly automatic and which will deliver the mail to each andevery patron and collect matter to be mailed without the necessity of aperson accompanying the delivery car, and, it v .will also be seen thatthis system may be easily adopted and will be comparatively cheap andwill be highly satisfactory.

What I claim is:

1. A rural mail delivering system comprising a motor operated carrier,movable compartments within said carrier, receiving receptacles,depositing receptacles, a collection chamber carried by said carrier,said receiving receptacles being adapted to re ceive the contents of thesaid movable compartments, said depositing receptacles being adapted todeposit their contents within the said collection chamber, means carriedby said carrier to open said receptacles,

and supporting arms vertically adjustable iupon a post for supportingsaid receptacles.

2. A rural mail delivering system comprising a motor operated carrier,movable compartments wlt-hin said carrier, receiving receptacles,depositing receptacles, a collection chamber carried by said carrier,said receiving receptacles being adapted to re ceive the contents of thesaid movable compartments, said depositing receptacles being adapted todeposit their contents within the said collection chamber, means carriedby said carrier to open said receptacles and at the same time move thecompartments within the carrier, arms for supporting said receptacles,and means for guiding said carrier.

' 3. A rural mail delivering system comprising a motor operated carrier,movable compartments within said carrier, receiving receptacles,depositing receptacles, a collection chamber carried by said carrier,said receiving receptacles being adapted to receive the contents of thesaid movable compartments, said depositing receptacles being adapted todeposit their contents within the said collection. chamber, meanscarried by said carrier to open said receptacles and move the movablecompartments, a track for said carrier, and vertically adjustablesupporting arms for supporting the receptacles. 4. A rural maildelivering system comprising a motor operated carrier, movablecompartments within said carrier, receiving receptacles, depositingreceptacles, a collection chamber carried-by said carrier, saidreceiving receptacles being adapted to receive the contents of the saidmovable compartments, said depositing receptacles being adapted todeposit their contents within the said collection chamber, means carriedby said carrier to open said receptacles and move the compartmentsWithin the carrier, vertically adjustable means for supporting saidreceptacles, and guiding said carrier, and a track for said carrier.

5. A rural mail delivering system comprising in combination a motoroperated carrier, movable compartments Within said carrier, receivingreceptacles, depositing receptacles, a collection chamber carried bysaid carrier, said receiving receptacles being adapted to receive thecontents of the said movable compartments When the latter are directlythereabove, said depositing receptacles being adapted to deposit theircontents Within the said collection chamber When the latter is directlyopposite the former, means carried by said carrier to open saidreceptacles and move the movable compartments to positions directlyabove the receiving receptacles When the collection chamber is directlyopposite the depositing receptacles, and means for adjustably supportingsaid receptacles.

6. A rural mail delivering system comprising in combination a motoroperated carrier, movable compartments Within said carrier, receivingreceptacles, depositing receptacles, a collection chamber carried bysaid carrier, said receiving receptacles being adapted to receive thecontents of the said movable compartments When the latter arethereabove, said depositing receptacles being adapted to deposit theircontents Within the said collection chamber at the same time thereceiving receptacles are receiving the contents of the movablecompartments, means carried by said carrier to open said receptacles andmove the movable compartments, means for supporting said receptacles,and means for automatically closing said receptacles.

7. In a rural mail delivering system the combination of a motor operatedcarrier, movable compartments Within said carrier, receivingreceptacles, depositing receptacles, a collection chamber carried bysaid carrier, said receiving receptacles being adapted to receive thecontents of the said movable compartments, said depositing receptaclesbeing adapted to deposit their contents Within the said collectionchamber, means carried by said carrier to open said receptacles,supporting-arms vertically adjustable upon a stationary support forsupporting said receptacles, said carrier having a delivering opening,and means for automatically bringing the compartments opposite saidopenings in succession to deliver their contents into the respectivereceiving receptacles.

8. In a rural mail delivering system the combination of a motor operatedcarrier, movable compartments Within said carrier, receivingreceptacles, depositing receptacles, a collection chamber carried bysaid carrier,

said receiving receptacles being adapted to receive the contents of thesaid movable compartments, said depositing receptacles being adapted todeposit their contents Within the said collection chamber, means carriedby said carrier to open said receptacles, adjustable arms for supportingsaid receptacles and guiding the carrier, said carrier having adelivering opening, means for automatically bringing the compartmentsopposite said openings in succession, and means carried by eachcompartment to prevent the contents thereof from dropping out of saidcompartment except When the compartment is opposite the delivery openingof said carmen 9. In a rural mail delivering system the combination of amotor operated carrier, movable compartments Within said carrier,receiving receptacles, depositing receptacles, a collection chambercarried by said carrier, said receiving receptacles being adapted toreceive the contents of the said movable compartments, said depositingreceptacles being adapted to deposit their contents Within the saidcollection chamber, means carried by said carrier to open saidreceptacles, a post for receptacle. supporting arms, receptaclesupporting arms secured upon the post, and adjustable vertically thereonfor supporting said receptacles,

said carrier having a delivering opening,

means for automatically bringing the compartments opposite said openingsin succession, and means carried by each compartment to prevent thecontents thereof from dropping out of said compartment except When thecompartment is opposite the delivery opening of said carrier the armsbeing adapted to guide said carrier.

10. In a rural mail delivering system the combination of a motoroperated carrier, movable compartments Within said carrier, receivingreceptacles, depositing receptacles, a collection chamber carried bysaid carrier, said receiving receptacles being adapted to receive thecontents of the said movable compartments, said depositing receptaclesbeing adapted to deposit their contents Within said collection chamber,means carried by said carrier to open said receptacles, paralleladjustable arms for supporting said receptacles, said carrier having adelivering opening, means for automatically bringing the compartmentsopposite said openings in succession at the receiving and depositingreceptacles, means carried by each compartment to prevent the contentsthereof from dropping out of said compartment except When thecompartment is opposite the delivery opening of said carrier, and atrack for said carrier.

11. In a rural mail delivering system the I receiving receptacles,depositing receptacles, a collection chamber carried by said carrier,said receiving receptacles being adapted to receive the contents of thesaid movable compartments, said depositing receptacles being adapted todeposit their contents within the said collection chamber, means carriedby said carrier to open said receptacles, parallel adjustably securedarms for supporting said receptacles and guiding the carrier, saidcarrier having a delivery opening, means for automatically bringing thecompartments opposite said openings in succession, means carried by eachcompartment to prevent the contents thereof from dropping out of saidcompartment except when the compartment is opposite the delivery openingof said carrier, and means for automatically closing said receptaclesafter the carrier has passed.

12. In automatic mail delivering apparatus the combination of a carrier,vertical shafts within the carrier, an endless belt around said shafts,cylindrical compartments secured to the belt in vertical positions,hinged bottoms to the compartments, the carrier having a deliveryopening in its bottom near the front end thereof, receiving receptaclesand depositing receptacles adj ustably supported upon posts, a track forthe carrier, the carrier having a collection chamber, the receptacleshaving covers, the belt being adapted to be moved to bring thecompartments successively above the opening to allow the hinged bottomsthereof to swing through said opening and permit the contents of thecompartments to drop into the receiving receptacles, and means upon thebottom of the carrier and movable longitudinally thereof to engage andraise the cover of each receiving receptacle and move the belt to bringthe proper compartment above the opening in the carrier bottom, saidcarrier being formed adjacent the collection chamber so as to engage andopen the depositing receptacles to allow the contents thereof to dropinto the collection chamber of the carrier.

13. In a rural mail delivering system the combination of a carrier andmovable compartments within said carrier, parallel supporting armshaving flared guide ends and depending receptacle supporting endsopposite the guide ends, a receiving receptacle carried between thedepending ends of the parallel supporting arms, a depositing receptaclecarried by the supporting arms, a post for supporting the supportingarms, said parallel arms being connected to and supported upon the postand adjustable vertically thereon, means for retaining the arms inadjusted position upon the post, a track above the supporting arms forthe carrier to ride upon, the guide ends of the arm being adapted toguide the carrier between the parallel arms to bring said carrierdirectly above the receiving receptacle, said receiving receptacle beingadapted to receive the contents of the movable compartments, and acollection chamber carried by the carrier, said collection chamber beingadapted to receive the contents of the depositing receptacle.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDRIGK C. BROOKS.

Witnesses:

E. P. VAN KIRK, L. B. HARRIS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Washington, D. G.

Gommissioner of Patents,

